Made For This Moment My Love
Updated: 4 days ago
Sometimes what seems like the end is the beginning of stepping into all that you are here to do.
Broken = Open
Three is a special number for me, so when I realized that I had somehow acquired three recycled canvases, all the same size, I knew it was time to open up to what had been bubbling creatively below the surface.
For this project, I worked with the remnants of some old woven rugs, worn out clothing and other found materials. These pieces carried stories of their own and I was drawn to fabrics that hold memories. For me, this included a collection of traditional Nigerian textiles and pieces connected to my own precious family. A blue cotton dress I wore constantly eventually tore and I didn't hesitate to tear it into strips and add it to the collection. I wanted to bring these different pieces together and see what they could become.
Each piece had something different to teach me and together they became Made for this Moment My Love.
Made for this Moment My Love
My heart bursting open.
For the first piece, I had emotional clarity about what I was creating. Although I didn't have an expectation of what the outcome would be, I felt my hands would know what to do and guide me along the way. The inspiration came from the feeling of my heart bursting wide open. The residual emotions had nowhere left to go but out. The ribbons of fabric pour outward, demonstrating the feeling of expanding beyond what can be contained.
The Light Was Always Yours
Looking outside yourself and finding the light you carry.
The second piece was focused on the element of the window. The canvas told me exactly what it wanted. It was straightforward and only a matter of bringing it all together.
When I saw the recycled canvas in its original form, it felt very commercial and decorative. I didn't want to remove all the parts of what was there because it felt like looking out a window from inside. It made me think about how we sometimes look outside ourselves to find encouragement, support and motivation. When we stand up and look outside to see the light, what we see is a reflection of the light we carry.
The window became a way of looking beyond what surrounds us, only to discover that what we were searching for might also be found within ourselves.
Look What We Can Create
Stepping outside, playing and discovering what is possible.
The third piece was the most playful. Unlike the first piece, where I had emotional clarity but didn't know what it would look like or the second, where I knew exactly what I wanted, the third was about allowing myself to explore. I found myself playing, experimenting, testing things and seeing what came to life on its own. For the most part, I had no idea what was going on.
I found an old hat my youngest had made and pieced together using fabric but never finished. I used it as the base for the hills in the sunset. Something unfinished became one of the most impressive parts of the work...a part of the landscape.
This piece speaks to what could be. It makes me wonder what would happen if I more intentionally co-created with what is already here, bringing new ideas into the world and allowing the unexpected to meet me along the way.
Made for this Moment My Love
I didn't approach these three canvases in the same way.
I couldn't have.
Each one asked something different of me.
Three pieces, arriving in their own way.
I AM grateful for the opportunity to bring them to life.
I AM grateful to meet you here in this moment.
Thank you for being who you are.
Always remember...
Love is at the center of all we do.
You are made for this moment, my love.
With love,
Mari Pardun
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